


Bed Time

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 13:44:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18367205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: Bedtime rules are very strict in the Hargreeves household. Or, they're supposed to be. Ben and Klaus don't follow those rules very well.





	Bed Time

**Author's Note:**

> This story was prompted by my brother so here it is. I hope you like it.

It was weird for any of them to be gone at night. The rules about bedtime were very strict. You get in your pajamas, have fifteen (ish, if Grace felt they could get away with it) minutes to just sort of chill together or individually, and then they were to be in bed and asleep. You could get up to go to the bathroom, or, possibly, get a glass of water if you didn’t already have one. Other than that, they were to stay in their rooms.

Of course, they had their ways of getting around this rule. Or, more honestly, just straight up breaking said rule.

Ben and Klaus specifically spent a lot of nights breaking this rule. Despite how different they tended to be, the two seemed to find a certain kind of comfort in each other at night that really worked out for the best. Whatever got them to sleep, after all. So most nights found one of them sneaking just next door and slipping into bed with the other. It was habit. Routine.

So there was nothing particularly off about Ben getting up at half past eleven to slip across the hall into Klaus’ room. He had waited to see if Klaus would come over first, and when he did, Ben tried to sleep on his own. He was twelve now, after all. He’d have to learn to sleep alone sometime. Diego, Luther, and Five all did it just fine. So there was no reason at all that Ben couldn’t.

When that didn’t work, Ben decided to take matters into his own hands. He got up, tiptoed out of his room, and inched open the door as quietly as he could. It didn’t squeak too much and their father’s bedroom wasn’t anywhere near them, but he couldn’t help it. Had to be careful. Just in case.

Klaus’ door was the only one in the hallway that didn’t seem to squeak. Small blessings, but Ben was a little jealous.

Although, once Ben found himself halfway across the room towards the bed, he realized something. It was empty.

Not empty as in Klaus might have had to pee, but it was still made from this morning when Mom had come in to clean.

And come to think of it, Ben wasn’t sure he’d seen Klaus since Dad had taken him away for a special individual training session. Those weren’t odd, of course. They’d all had individual training. Even Vanya, even if that had been some number of years ago. And it also wasn’t unusual for those training sessions to take place after dinner. That was just sort of how it worked.

But usually, they were over in time for them to get ready for bed. Because bedtime was strict. It was set. No one disobeyed bedtime. (While Reginald was still awake, anyway.)

Ben just frowned, a displeased involuntary sound escaping from his throat. He whipped his head around, waiting for someone to pop out and turn him in and get him punished, but nothing happened. After a second of silent contemplation, he turned back around and headed for his own bed.

He’d either figure out how to sleep on his own, or he’d wait for morning to come and try to find down time for a nap tomorrow.

Unlikely on both accounts.

*

Klaus was at breakfast.

And he looked downright awful.

Ben could tell that wherever he’d been, Klaus hadn’t slept last night. He hardly talked at all, which Diego was quick to comment on. He looked pale and he was nearly shaking, clearly only keeping it together out of sheer force of will. Klaus barely ate anything, managing to escape from the table without finishing by pleading out with Mom and claiming sick. She’d frowned at him in sympathy, placing the back of her hand against Klaus’ forehead. He must have been sufficiently overheated for her to determine he could go back to his room.

Ben watched as his brother damn near stumbled from the kitchen and away towards their rooms.

He tried to finish as fast as he could, without making himself sick or anyone suspicious.

Though Mom did have to scold him with a rather shocked little, “slow down, Ben!”

Ben finished his oatmeal (god, he hated oatmeal), and scampered away. He had just a few minutes of time to find Klaus and talk to him before their lessons for the day would begin. He had to make the most of this time.

Klaus was in his room as expected. He was curled up on his bed, halfway through an attempt at changing, shaking like a leaf. Ben had meant to knock, he really had. But he’d just opened the door on reflex, and with the sight that greeted him, he slipped in quickly and silently before anyone else could notice him.

“Klaus?”

His brother jumped, flying upwards and turning scared, puffy red eyes on Ben. Then his shoulders slumped and he fell back to the bedspread upon recognizing him.

“Ben, I’m not going to our lessons today. I just-”

“I don’t care about the lessons,” Ben interrupted. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. You look awful, no offense, and you weren’t here last night.”

Klaus took a few seconds to respond. “Did you come over?”

He nodded silently, sure Klaus couldn’t see him. But it didn’t matter. He probably knew it anyway.

“Sorry,” Klaus muttered under his breath. He sounded just as unsteady as he looked.

Ben did the only thing he could think of.

He closed the space between him and the bed, crawling up gently and settling into the space between Klaus’ side and the wall. At first, Klaus looked almost shocked and stared down at Ben with wide eyes, searching Ben’s expression. Ben was ready to get up and leave at any second. As soon as Klaus said the word, he was gone. But not until then.

But then Klaus relaxed slightly, tears pooling in his eyes again and falling as he settled his arm around Ben’s shoulders.

They laid there together well into the start of their lessons. Mom only came to check on Klaus once, seeming not at all surprised to find Ben there with him. Eventually, Ben would get up and throw off his sport coat and his tie, if only because fuck it, Mom allowed them to have lunch in Klaus’ room and dinner wasn’t for hours.

So they existed in silence. Ben noticed that Klaus cried almost the whole time, and seemed antsy and especially upset any time Ben had to get up and move or go to the bathroom. He had no idea what he was supposed to say or how he was supposed to handle the situation at all. Klaus wasn’t a regular crier, and he wasn’t telling Ben anything about what had happened overnight to cause this.

Ben just resolved to be there for him, no matter what. To let him cry or cling or rant or sleep or whatever. Ben would be there.

It took until the dead of night two days later for Klaus to haltingly tell Ben about the mausoleum. Ben had felt his blood boil, The Horror twisting around angrily beneath his skin. It whispered at the back of his skull, _you could do it._

_You know where he is._

_It would be so easy._

_Kill him._

But Ben didn’t. He just pressed himself into Klaus’ side tighter and clung to him, hoping he wasn’t hurting him too badly.

But from then on The Horror never liked Reginald again. And it liked to whisper in Ben’s ear.

_Just say yes._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Let me know if you saw any spelling or grammar mistakes so I can fix them. Thanks, again!


End file.
